By Thomas E. RicksThomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military for the Washington Post from 2000 through 2008. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com.

June 14, 2010

The New York Times‘s breathless coverage of minerals in Afghanistan was greeted with chuckles not only by FP‘s Blake Hounshell but by old Afghan hands. Here John Stuart Blackton, who has shaken more Helmand River sand out of his shorts than most Americans in Afghanistan have walked on, provides some background. By the way, before running USAID in Afghanistan, John attended Stephens College of Delhi-as did Pakistan’s Gen. Zia.

By John Stuart Blackton Best Defense Afghan natural resources editor

The " discovery" of Afghanistan’s minerals will sound pretty silly to old timers. When I was living in Kabul in the early 1970’s the USG, the Russians, the World Bank, the UN and others were all highly focused on the wide range of Afghan mineral deposts. The Russian geological service was all over the North in the 60’s and 70’s.

Cheap ways of moving the ore to ocean ports has always been the limiting factor. The Russians were looking at a northern rail corridor.

Take a look at this little bibliography of Afghan mineral assessments. This one is mostly Russian, but pre-dates the DoD/USG "discovery" period by 30 years. In my day we did a joint USG/Iranian study of a potential rail line from Afghanistan to several of the Iranian rail hubs. This was predicated on mineral exploitation in a way that would thwart the Russian’s northern rail corridor plans.

In the early 70’s the USG had an old FDR New-Deal planner/economist/brains-truster – Bob Nathan – working with the Afghan Ministry of Plan to work out a fifty year mineral exploitation program. When the Russians took over they picked up Bob’s plans and extended them. So this is anything but a "new discovery".

Low cost, long haul transport infrastructure remains the constraint. The Louis Berger "four inches of asphalt on the old Ring Road" doesn’t do it.

Maiorov, A.N., Suderkin, A.I., and Krepoy, M.E. (1965) Report by the Survey and Prospecting Team on the results obtained in 1963-1964 at the lapis-lazuli occurrences of Afghanistan. Kabul, Rec. Off., DGMS, 1965.

Malyarov, A.N., Suderkin, A.I., and Krepov, N.E. (1965) Report on the results of prospecting for and exloration of lapis-lazuli carried out in Afghanistan in 1963-1964. Kabul, DGMS, 1965.

Narodniy, V.M. and Shwarkov, S.L. (1965) Report on the reslts of survey and prospecting for beryl carried out in 1963-64 in the eastern part of Afghanistan with the reserves assessment of the Darrahe Pech rare metal-bearing pegmatite deposit. Kabul, Rec. Off. DCMS, 1965.

Mikhailov, K.Ya., Moraliov, V.M., Perfiliev, Yu.S., and Chalian, M.A. (1969) The bauxite potential of the Mesozoic deposits in the southern part of the Afghano-Tadjik Depression. Razvedka i okhrana nedr, 1969, No. 7.

Dronov, V.I., Kalimulin, S.M., Kabaov, O.N., Kotchetkov, A.Ya., Zelensky, E.D., Chistyakov, A.N., and Svezhentsov, V.P. (1970) The geology and minerals of the western part of Central Afghanistan (Report of the Herat Team on the work in 1969). Kabul, DGMS, 1970.

Denikayev, Sh.Sh., Feoktistov, V.P., Pyzhyanov, I.V., Adjruddin, A.A., Narbaev, Sh.N., and Konev, Yu.M. (1971) The geology and minerals in the south part of Eastern Afghanistan (Report of the Kabul team on the work in 1970). Kabul Rec. Off. DGMS, 1971.

Litvinenko, K.I., Parfionov, Yu.I. (1971) Report on the results of geological prospecting for and evaluaton of mercury occurrences carried out in 1970. Kabul, DGMS, 1971.

Litvinenko, K.I., Rul’kovsky, M.F., and Koshelev, Yu.M. (1971) Report by the Kundalyan Party on the reslts of geological prospecting for and exploration of copper occurrences carried out in 1969-1970. Kabul, DGMS, 1971.

Denikayev, Sh.Sh., Feoktistov, V.P., Rossovsky, L.N., and Adjruddin, A. (1972) The geology and minerals of the northern part of East Afghanistan (Report of the Kabul party on the work in 1971). Kabul, DGMS, 1972.

Chmyriov, V.M. (1975) The main features of tin mineralization in Afghanistan. Theses of reports. In: Bulletin of the 3rd Scientific Conference held in Ku and KPI, Kabul, 1975: 74-75.

Chmyriov, V.M. and Litvinenko, K.I. (1975) Localization features of mercury mineralization in Afghanistan. Theses of reports. In: Bulletin of the 3rd Scientific Conference held in KU and KPI, Kabul, 1975: 75-78.

Chmyriov, V.M. and Rossovsky, L.N. (1975) Localization features of rare-metal pegmatite fields of Afghanisan. Theses of reports. In: Bulletin of the 3rd Scientific Conference held in the KU and KPI, Kabul, 1975: 72-74.

Kotchetkov, A.Ya. (1976) Some features of metallogeny of Central and Western Afghanistan. Izv. VUZ-ov, Geologiya i Razvedka, 1976, No.4.

Chmyriov, V.M. and Azimi, N.A. (1977) The new uranium and rare-earth mineralization type of the Mediterranean Belt (Afghanistan). Theses of reports. -In: Bulletin of the V-th Scientific Conference held in KU and KPI, Kabul, 1977: 55-56.